Breast cancer prevention is a global public health challenge that requires:

• Utilization of the diversity of diet/environment and epigenomic pool globally• A multidisciplinary approach: biology, epidemiology, medicine, nutrition, social sciences and communication, education, and public policy• Contributions from scientists, clinicians, and advocates• Sustained international effort in research and action

The international breast cancer and nutrition (IBCN) project is focused on breast cancer prevention research to inform health communication, interventions, and public policy. This project benefits from a global perspective through the establishment of culturally aware multidisciplinary and international collaborations.

The development of breast cancer prevention strategies will be facilitated by a better knowledge of the epigenetic regulation of DNA (i.e, a series of mechanisms resulting in the reorganization of chromatin, in particular, via posttranslational histone modifications and DNA methylation, and that control the expression and silencing of genes). One way to identify epigenetic factors that influence breast cancer development in response to the environment is to focus on nutrition since dietary patterns have been associated with breast cancer and nutrients are known to impact gene expression (nutrigenomics). Once the diet-epigenetic interactions that protect or weaken the breast epithelium have been identified, it will be possible to develop breast cancer prevention strategies.